ORLANDO, FL -- If we only bought what we needed, the economy would crumble: common sense from a leading mobile executive keynoting a Shop.org show.

Marketers tend to move their money to where consumers are and since we are all shoppers, in some shape or form, they need to start allocating funds to the mobile channel, according to Andy Nulman, president and chief marketing officer of Airborne Entertainment Inc.

"The mobile device is a constant connection with your customers," Mr. Nulman said yesterday. "It is a passport, a promised land, the Holy Grail of marketing."

Mr. Nulman was the keynote speaker at Shop.org's Strategy and Innovation Forum in the Royal Pacific Resort in Universal Studios, Orlando, FL. His Montreal-based company is a specialist in mobile entertainment.

A few years ago when the whole idea of mobile marketing was first proposed, he said, people expected it would be like a drive-by shooting -- disruptive and not targeted. However, it is more like a one-on-one conversation with consumers.

"Success of mobile marketing depends on how you use it," Mr. Nulman said. "You want to be a friend to your customer, not an acquaintance. You want to be able to whisper information to them.

"It's all about N.O.W," he said.

The N stands for near-by, Mr. Nulman said, stressing the importance of targeting those in your radius. The O stands for only. The marketer's message needs to tell people there is some sort of a limit like a one-time-only sale, for example. The W stands for wow. The offer must be compelling so that people talk about it to others.

Mr. Nulman said that your message to consumers must be like a whisper.

"Pssssssssssst! Here's my offer," he said.

The message should be short and to the point. It should be in regular English and not corporate talk. It's okay to say "Omigod, we are having a sale today!"

A great way to ensure that marketers are targeting those who are truly interested in what the company has to offer is by sending a text message to consumers asking them to reply to a short code.

This amounts to bringing value to consumers.

"Consumers don't go looking for value," Mr. Nulman said.

Instead, value needs to find the consumer.

"The mobile channel allows for discovery, talking, bargains and recognition," Mr. Nulman said.